Modern Practice Podcast

Confronting the current blood supply shortage – Part 1

In normal times in this country, only three percent of the population donates blood. Yet, the pandemic has worsened the situation even more, causing donor fatigue and lack of supply. In addition, more stringent guidelines have reduced the number of donors as well. On this episode, beginning a three-part series, we discuss the causes and effects of a shrinking blood supply and how to face this challenge.
 
Guest speaker:
Akiva Faerber
Senior Principal
Vizient
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Principal
Clinical Operations and Quality
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:52] A grim situation
[02:26] Effect from an increased number of tests and guidelines
[03:41] Recruiting donors
[06:10] Changing clinical practice on use of blood
[07:50] Restrictive vs liberal blood use policies
[08:46] Vizient data to guide blood management
 
Links | Resources:
To contact Modern Practice: modernpracticepodcast@vizientinc.com
Akiva Faerber’s contact email: akiva.faerber@vizientinc.com
Conservation of Blood Products (The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center) Click here
Severe Blood Shortage (American Red Cross web page) Click here
 
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Addressing Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HACs) after COVID-19 – Part 5

In this final episode of our series on HACs, we examine the challenge of Clostridium difficile infection (C. diff, or CDI) for clinicians and patients. Highly infectious and unsusceptible to alcohol, CDI is cause for concern, with infection rates rising after COVID-19, as they are for all HACs. Yet, a systematic approach according to new guidelines can curb and eliminate this condition.
 
Guest speaker:
Richard Beaver, B.S. Chem, MBB, CPHQ
Senior Consulting Director
Vizient
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Principal
Clinical Operations and Quality
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:31] New CDI guidelines
[01:21] Insight on major causes – and an example
[03:31] Benefit of early detection at hospital
[05:57] Issues with testing protocols, isolation practices and use of antibiotics
[09:21] A multi-faceted approach
 
Links | Resources:
Rick Beaver’s contact email: richard.beaver@vizientinc.com
New CDI guidelines (IDSA and SHEA) Click here
CMS Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) fact sheet Click here
CMS Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) reduction program Click here
Information on Vizient’s Clinical Data Base (CDB) Click here
AHRQ tools to reduce HACs Click here
 
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Addressing Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HACs) after COVID-19 – Part 4

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are persistent and challenging, no more so than following the COVID-19 outbreak. Now that elective surgeries are ramping up again, it is more important than ever to prevent SSIs, and that is the focus for this episode in our series addressing HACs.
 
Guest speaker:
Richard Beaver, B.S. Chem, MBB, CPHQ
Senior Consulting Director
Vizient
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Principal
Clinical Operations and Quality
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:36] The upsurge in sepsis
[02:25] Limited SSI improvement in some cases
[03:39] A combination of causes
[04:50] Lack of compliance
[05:59] Prophylactic antibiotics
[08:35] Chlorhexidine
[10:33] Accurate metrics and analysis for key drivers of improvement
[11:35] 360-degree approach
 
Links | Resources:
Rick Beaver’s contact email: richard.beaver@vizientinc.com
CMS Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) fact sheet Click here
CMS Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) reduction program Click here
Information on Vizient’s Clinical Data Base (CDB) Click here
AHRQ tools to reduce HACs Click here
 
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Addressing Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HACs) after COVID-19 – Part 3

The outbreak of COVID-19 exacerbated the occurrence of Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HACs) in health care organizations, and bringing infection rates back down is a struggle. This series examines the steps we can take to reduce HACs, and on this episode, we focus on catheter-associated urinary tract infections, or CAUTIs.
 
Guest speaker:
Richard Beaver, B.S. Chem, MBB, CPHQ
Senior Consulting Director
Vizient
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Principal
Clinical Operations and Quality
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:33] Occurrences of CAUTI
[01:11] Foley removal practice
[05:51] Other causes and managing the perineum
[08:25] Addressing the bundle components
 
Links | Resources:
Rick Beaver’s contact email: richard.beaver@vizientinc.com
CMS Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) fact sheet Click here
CMS Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) reduction program Click here
Information on Vizient’s Clinical Data Base (CDB) Click here
AHRQ tools to reduce HACs Click here
 
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Addressing Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HACs) after COVID-19 – Part 2

Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HACs) have risen in frequency since the outbreak of COVID-19 after years when rates were falling. This series examines the reasons and steps we can take to reduce these infections. On this episode, we focus on central line-associated bloodstream infections, or CLABSIs.
 
Guest speaker:
Richard Beaver, B.S. Chem, MBB, CPHQ
Senior Consulting Director
Vizient
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Principal
Clinical Operations and Quality
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:31] Effect of placement on line management
[04:12] Impact of shaving
[06:18] Actions for preventing CLABSIs
[08:23] Engaging physicians and nurses – not dictating to them
 
Links | Resources:
Rick Beaver’s contact email: richard.beaver@vizientinc.com
CMS Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) fact sheet Click here
CMS Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) reduction program Click here
Information on Vizient’s Clinical Data Base (CDB) Click here
AHRQ tools to reduce HACs Click here
 
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Addressing Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HACs) after COVID-19 – Part 1

Even before the pandemic, health care organizations struggled with Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HACs), and the outbreak of COVID-19 only worsened infection rates. In this five-part series, we will examine four leading HACs to discuss why their rates went up and proven approaches hospital staff can use to reduce them.
 
Guest speaker:
Richard Beaver, B.S. Chem, MBB, CPHQ
Senior Consulting Director
Vizient
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Principal
Clinical Operations and Quality
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[01:05] Situation today regarding HACs, as seen in the Vizient Clinical Data Base (CDB)
[01:45] Major HACs
[02:21] Effect of the pandemic
[03:17] Insights post-COVID
[07:15] Line placement: who owns the lines
[08:52] Impactful HACs
[10:06] Role of clinician resilience
[11:24] Financial implications/penalties
 
Links | Resources:
Rick Beaver’s contact email: richard.beaver@vizientinc.com
CMS Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) fact sheet Click here
CMS Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) reduction program Click here
Information on Vizient’s Clinical Data Base (CDB) Click here
AHRQ tools to reduce HACs Click here
 
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Care approaches for COVID-19 long-haulers – Part 3

“We are seeing increased demand, lots of questions out there from people who’ve had COVID, and questions that, quite honestly, primary care physicians aren’t comfortable being able to answer.” So says Dr. Maddie McDowell of Sg2 about care for COVID long-haulers. She continues, “This is a field that’s very new, it’s evolving weekly, and so being able to provide expertise in this specific area is really important for all communities.” In this episode, we finish our examination of the COVID clinic at the University of Texas Medical Branch that does provide that expertise.
 
Guest speakers:
Madeline McDowell, MD
Principal, Intelligence
Sg2
 
Rex McCallum, MD
Chief Physician Executive
UTMB Health
 
Justin Seashore, MD
Director, Post Recovery COVID-19 Recovery Clinic
UTMB Health
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Associate Vice President
Clinical Resources
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:40] Continuing COVID long-hauler clinics
[02:56] Getting started
[04:54] Patients with hypertension and diabetes
[05:40] Significant improvement
[07:15] Support of leadership and staff
[07:41] Telemedicine
[09:09] Post-COVID symptoms
[10:14] Dealing with vaccine hesitancy
[10:56] The future of the clinic after COVID
 
Links | Resources:
UTMB Health: Post COVID Recovery Clinic Click here
COVID “Long Haulers”: Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 Click here
Vizient webcast: Care approaches for COVID-19 long-haulers Click here
 
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Care approaches for COVID-19 long-haulers – Part 2

In this episode, we continue our discussion on COVID long-haulers, those who contracted COVID-19 and cannot shake off the effects weeks or months later. We feature a clinic developed to care for long-haulers and examine treatment approaches.
 
Guest speakers:
Madeline McDowell, MD
Principal, Intelligence
Sg2
 
Rex McCallum, MD
Chief Physician Executive
UTMB Health
 
Justin Seashore, MD
Director, Post Recovery COVID-19 Recovery Clinic
UTMB Health
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Associate Vice President
Clinical Resources
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:34] Developing the care plan
[01:35] Types of patients
[03:32] Defining post-COVID patients
[04:30] Leading symptoms
[06:53] Results of clinic care
[07:59] Getting paid
[10:07] Approach to imaging
[11:19] Significant improvement
[12:39] The fatigue component
 
Links | Resources:
UTMB Health: Post COVID Recovery Clinic Click here
COVID “Long Haulers”: Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 Click here
Vizient webcast: Care approaches for COVID-19 long-haulers Click here
 
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Care approaches for COVID-19 long-haulers – Part 1

“Long-haulers” are those who contracted COVID-19 and cannot shake off the effects weeks or months later. These patients can experience continual impaired lung function, mental incapacity, dizziness, tiredness and other maladies lingering on from the disease. This podcast features excerpts from a recent webcast that discussed one health care organization’s clinic outreach to COVID long-haulers as well as Sg2 research into the various conditions represented.
 
Guest speakers:
Madeline McDowell, MD
Principal, Intelligence
Sg2
 
Rex McCallum, MD
Chief Physician Executive
UTMB Health
 
Justin Seashore, MD
Director, Post Recovery COVID-19 Recovery Clinic
UTMB Health
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Associate Vice President
Clinical Resources
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[02:05] Conditions caused by long-term COVID
[02:20] Treating with multiple specialists
[02:54] The time is now
[04:36] Becoming aware of other symptoms associated with COVID
[06:39] Defining the post-COVID patient
[08:10] Getting the word to the community
[09:41] Referrals
[10:03] Patient assessments
 
Links | Resources:
UTMB Health: Post COVID Recovery Clinic Click here
COVID “Long Haulers”: Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 Click here
Vizient webcast: Care approaches for COVID-19 long-haulers Click here
 
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Stress First Aid – Part 2

In this episode, we continue our discussion about a novel approach to alleviate the stress on health care workers. Developed for the US Army, Stress First Aid is proving beneficial to dealing with the ongoing crises and challenges faced in health care organizations every day, particularly during the pandemic.
 
Guest speaker:
Courtney Gidengil, MD, MPH
Senior Physician Policy Researcher
Director, Boston Office
The Rand Corporation
Associate Physician in Pediatrics
Boston Children’s Hospital
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Associate Vice President
Clinical Resources
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:26] Stress First Aid model—the color code designations
[02:03] Seven Cs
[03:14] Benefits of participating
[04:24] First steps
[05:46] Individual participation
[06:53] The site champion
 
Links | Resources:
Vizient’s SFA Overview for Health Care Professionals Click here
Workplace Stress Impacts Health Care Workers (U of Michigan) Click here
 
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